What Your Resume Must Have to Make it Effective

By Melanie Szlucha

You feel like you’re submitting your resume to every possible job under the sun, but you just can’t get any traction. In the back of your mind is this nagging suspicion that it’s not them, but your resume that could be the problem. But what should a good resume have? You’ve got your past jobs on there with dates, shouldn’t that be enough?

No.

A resume needs to be an attractive, readable, interesting document that makes the employer want to get to know you more. Think of it like an enticing description of a dish on a menu. When you go to a restaurant for the first time, you have no idea what you’re going to order. You have to rely on the descriptions to entice you and steer you in one way or another-ideally for the restaurant toward the highest priced item. They don’t just list the ingredients of the dish, but the description pulls the whole thing together and makes it sound appetizing.

Is your resume enticing to an employer? Here’s what turns them on.

RESULTS: Employers have GOT to see that you get results for the work you do. How effective are you? There’s a difference between not increasing sales at all, and seeing a 34% increase-so put that on the resume! How have you affected the company since you’ve been there?

CAREER SUMMARY: This takes the place of the Objective at the top of your resume. A career summary should give an employer a thumbnail view of who you are as an employee-think of it as a thesis statement on your old high school research papers. DO NOT simply provide a shopping list of qualities such as: hard working, dedicated, loyal, or the phrase attention to detail. They are on EVERYONE’s resume-trust me, I’ve seen my fair share. Instead paint yourself as if you’re an enticing dish on a menu and write something truly descriptive like this: “Syndicated/qualitative research professional with in-depth, customer service experience across a variety of industries. Successful track record of client retention, strong contract negotiation skills and increased sales through up-sell opportunities and new product development. Specialized experience in analytical category analysis, internal data management and written/verbal client presentations.” This describes the person behind the resume and paints a detailed picture of her experience in a short period of time.

BRIEF JOB DESCRIPTIONS: Under every company, job title and dates (and yes, in most cases, you should include months as well as the years), you should provide one or two sentences to describe what the company does (in case the name isn’t well known), and the basics of your job description. That’s it. Employers need to understand the industries you worked in, and the basic responsibilities of your past positions. They do not need to see your duties spelled out-your accomplishments will answer those questions in their mind.

So take a look at your resume. Does it pass the test? If not, email it to me for a FREE 10 minute critique and we can strategize where you should go from here.

Isn’t it worth it to have that nagging “is it my resume?” question answered?

–

Melanie Szlucha has been a hiring manager for over 15 years and a career coach for over 4 through her company Red Inc. She writes resumes, coaches clients for job interviews, and works with them to strategize networking opportunities and job search tactics.She offers a packet of FREE job search articles–worth over $100, through her website: http://www.reallygreatresume.com.

Following her on Twitter ( http://www.twitter.com/Red_Inc ) gives you one great job search tip per day for FREE!

Top Three Hints That Your Resume Stinks

By Jennifer Anthony
Designated Resume Rockstar

You may already have the nagging suspicion that your resume is not up to par or you would not be reading this article right now. Perhaps you are not getting a response from your resume or the responses you have received are inappropriate. Here are the top three clues that it’s time to completely rewrite your resume.

1. Your resume contains typos.

This one should be obvious. If you are serious about your job search, you should proofread your resume. I realize it has been an incredibly competitive job market, but don’t get so excited about a potential job that you just throw something together and send it off in haste. Furthermore, proofreading does not mean relying on the built in spell checking function that comes with your word processing software. Spell check doesn’t know that you meant to type “from” when you actually typed “form.” When you skip this vital step, you’re putting your entire career at risk.

2. Your resume lists irrelevant information.

Hobbies, marital status, religious affiliation, and any other personal information do not belong on a resume. I can’t even count how many times someone has said, “…but it shows character.” Well, if you’re thinking it too, here’s the scoop — you are being hired for your skills and abilities, not because you are good at snowboarding. Don’t waste precious space on these unnecessary tidbits.

3. Your resume is poorly designed.

When your information is poorly presented, it makes it hard to concentrate on. You want people to be interested in what they are reading, so an appealing presentation is vital. When reviewing your resume, consider the following:

• Can you see a clear design, or does it look inconsistent?
• Does it look organized and easy to follow?
• Most importantly, could a hiring manager see your most valuable skills in a glance?

If not, you know what to do. Start over!

For new ideas to get you started, please check out the books listed here: http://jenniferanthony.wordpress.com/career-books/

If you decide that it’s all too much of a headache, take advantage of the services offered by professional resume writers. You will rid yourself of the chore and most importantly, you will collaborate with an objective professional who can help you uncover all of your skills, abilities, and accomplishments.

—

© Jennifer Anthony Nationally Published Resume Expert & Career Strategist

E-mail: jenn@jennwrites.com | Phone: 503-395-8877 | Web: www.jennanthony.info

Disclaimer: Advice offered in this article is not comprehensive and is intended for a wide-range of readers. Individual results may vary based on geographic location, local economies, market saturation for a particular industry, academic background, adaptability to workforce changes, and/or continued motivation. Contact a professional resume writer to discuss your unique situation.

Five Quick Tips for Writing Your Resume

By Jennifer Anthony
Designated Resume Rockstar

1. Identify a clear job goal.

Don’t use a generic resume to apply at multiple companies. Every resume should be relevant to what each individual employer is looking for in a new employee. When you send out something generic, it shows apathy and lack of motivation. This is not the impression to give if you want to be considered as a serious candidate.

2. Resist the urge to use creative fonts on your resume.

Even if your choice looks easy to read on your screen, it may not be on another screen. For example, if I use Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, or Georgia, nearly everyone can view these fonts. If I use my cool Futurama Alien Font, it would most likely look all jumbled up on someone else’s system. Resume screeners review countless resumes and this type of creativity is just annoying. The reader should not have to try to troubleshoot why the document looks bad to add to their workload.

3. Quantify your experience wherever possible.

Cite numerical figures, such as funds saved, time improvements, numbers of machines fixed, etc., which demonstrate progress or accomplishments due directly to your specific contributions.

4. Omit needless items from your resume.

Leave all of these things off your resume: social security number, marital status, health history, citizenship status, age/birth date, irrelevant memberships, recreational activities, salary history, and previous supervisor names. You should also keep in mind that a resume is not an autobiography and a part time, entry-level job from 1989 is not considered noteworthy. Your resume is intended to be a preview that generates interest, so if you find yourself getting into a third or fourth page, take a few moments to evaluate if what you are writing is significant.

5. “References Available Upon Request” is unnecessary.

An employer already assumes that you will offer professional references when asked. Additionally, your references should never be on the resume. They should be in a separate document with a similar layout and the same font as the resume for consistency.

—

© Jennifer Anthony Nationally Published Resume Expert & Career Strategist
E-mail: jenn@jennwrites.com | Phone: 503-395-8877 | Web: www.jennanthony.info

Disclaimer: Advice offered in this article is not comprehensive and is intended for a wide-range of readers. Individual results may vary based on geographic location, local economies, market saturation for a particular industry, academic background, adaptability to workforce changes, and/or continued motivation. Contact a professional resume writer to discuss your unique situation.